George  Washington  Flowers 
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PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 

OF  KVKNTS  IN  TH K 

War  of  the  Rebellion, 

BEING  PAPKKS  KKAD  15KFOKK  THK 

RHODE  ISLAND  SOLDIERS  AND  SAILORS 
HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


Third  Series  — No.  13. 


providexce: 
published  by  the  society. 
1885. 


• 


FJ«n'I!>KN<^K  I'HKSS  COMl'ANY,  PKlNTKliS. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 

WITH 

COLOEED  TEOOPS 

IN  THE 

ARMY  OF  THE  CUMBEELAND, 
18G3-65. 


BY 

THOMAS  J.  MORGAN, 

[Late  Colonel  14th  U.  S.  Colored  Infantry,  Brevet  Brigadier  General  U.  S.  V.] 


I'ROVIDEJ^CK  : 
rUULISHEI)  BY  THE  SOCIETY. 
1885. 


[Edition  limited  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  copies.] 


EEMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE  WITH  COLORED 
TROOPS. 


The  American  civil  war,  1861-5,  marks  an  epoch 
not  only  in  the  history  of  America,  but  in  that  of 
demociacy  and  of  civilization.  Its  issue  has  vitally 
affected  the  course  of  human  progress.  To  the  stu- 
dent of  history  it  ranks  in  interest  along  with  the 
conquests  of  Alexander,  the  incursions  of  the  Barba- 
rians, the  Crusades,  the  discovery  of  America,  and 
the  American  Revolution.  It  settled  the  question  of 
our  national  unity  with  all  the  consequences  attach- 
ing thereto,  the  power  and  perpetuity  of  a  republic, 
and  not  only  enfranchised  four  millions  of  American 
slaves  of  African  descent,  but  made  slavery  forever 
impossible  in  the  great  republic,  and  gave  a  new 
impulse  to  the  cause  of  human  freedom.  Its  in- 
fluence upon  American  slaves  was  immediate  and 
startlingly  revolutionary,  lifting  them  from  the  con- 


6 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


dition  of  despised  chattels,  bought  and  sold  like 
sheep  in  the  market,  with  no  rights  which  the  white 
man  was  bound  to  respect,  to  the  exalted  plane  of 
American  citizenship,  making  them  free  men,  the 
peers  in  every  civil  and  political  right  of  their  late 
masters.  Within  about  a  decade  after  the  close  of 
the  war,  negroes  —  lately  slaves  —  were  legislators, 
State  officers,  members  of  Congress,  and  for  a  brief 
time  one  presided  over  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  where  only  a  few  years  before  Toombs  had 
boasted  that  he  would  yet  call  the  roll  of  his  slaves 
in  the  shade  of  Bunker  Hill. 

To-day  slavery  finds  no  advocate,  and  the  colored 
race  in  America  is  making  steady  progress  in  all  the 
elements  of  civilization.  The  conduct  of  the  Amer- 
ican slave,  during  and  since  the  war,  has  wrought  an 
extraordinary  change  in  public  sentiment  regarding 
the  capabilities  of  the  race.  The  manly  qualities  of 
the  negro  soldiers  evinced  in  camp,  on  the  march  and 
in  battle,  won  for  them  golden  opinions  and  made 
their  freedom  a  necessity,  and  their  citizenship  a  cer- 
tainty. Those  of  us  who  assisted  in  organizing,  dis- 
ciplining and  leading  negro  troops  in  battle,  may  be 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


7 


pardoned  for  feeling  a  good  degree  of  pride  in  our 
share  of  the  thrilling  events  of  the  great  war. 

When  Sumter  was  fired  upon,  April,  1861,  I  was 
a  boy  of  twenty-one,  a  member  of  the  senior  class  in 
Franklin  College,  Indiana.  I  enlisted  in  the  Seventh 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  as  a  private 
soldier  for  three  months  in  West  Virginia  under 
General  McClellan  —  "the  young  Napoleon,"  as  he 
was  even  then  known.  I  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Carrick's  Ford,  where  General  Garnett  was  killed 
and  his  army  defeated.  In  August,  1862,  I  reen- 
listed  as  a  first  lieutenant  in  the  Seventieth  Indiana 
(Colonel  Benjamin  Harrison),  and  saw  service  in 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

In  January,  1863,  Abraham  Lincoln  issued  the 
proclamation  of  emancipation,  and  incorporated  in  it 
the  policy  of  arming  the  negro  for  special  service  in 
the  Union  army.  Thus  the  question  was  fairly  up, 
and  I  entered  into  its  discussion  with  the  deepest 
interest,  as  I  saw  that  upon  its  settlement  hung  great 
issues. 

On  the  one  hand,  the  opponents  of  the  policy 
maintained  that  to  make  soldiers  of  the  negroes 


8 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


would  be  to  put  them  on  the  same  level  with  white 
soldiers,  and  so  be  an  insult  to  every  man  w^ho  wore 
the  blue.  It  was  contended,  too,  that  the  negro  was 
not  fit  for  a  soldier  l)ecause  he  belonged  to  a  de- 
graded, inferior  race,  wanting  in  soldierly  qualities  ; 
that  his  long  bondage  had  crushed  out  whatever  of 
manliness  he  might  naturally  possess  ;  that  he  was 
too  grossly  ignorant  to  perform  intelligently  the 
duties  of  the  soldier ;  that  his  provocation  had  been 
so  great  as  a  slave  that  when  once  armed  and  con- 
scious of  his  poAver  as  a  soldier,  he  would  abuse  it  by 
acts  of  revenge  and  wanton  cruelty. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  was  urged  that  in  its  fearful 
struggle  for  existence,  the  republic  needed  the  help 
of  the  able-bodied  negroes  ;  that  with  their  natural 
instincts  of  self-preservation,  desire  for  liberty,  habit 
of  obedience,  power  of  imitation,  love  of  pomp  and 
parade,  acquaintance  with  the  southern  country  and 
adaptation  to  its  climate,  they  had  elements  which 
peculiarly  fitted  them  for  soldiers.  It  was  further 
urged  that  the  negro  had  more  at  stake  than  the 
white  man,  and  that  he  should  have  a  chance  to 
strike  a  blow  for  himself.    It  was  particularly  in- 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


9 


sisted  upon  that  he  needed  just  the  opportunity 
which  army  service  aflbrded  to  develop  and  exhibit 
whatever  of  manliness  he  possessed. 

As  the  war  progressed,  and  each  great  battle-lield 
was  piled  with  heaps  of  the  killed  and  wounded  of 
our  best  citizens,  men  looked  at  each  other  seri- 
ously, and  asked  if  a  black  man  would  not  stop  a 
bullet  as  well  as  a  white  man?  Miles  O'Reilly  at 
length  voiced  a  popular  sentiment  when  he  said  : 

"  The  right  to  be  killed,  I'll  divide  with  the  nayger, 
And  give  him  the  largest  half." 

With  the  strono^  conviction  that  the  neo-ro  was  a 
man  worthy  of  freedom,  and  possessed  of  all  the 
essential  qualities  of  a  good  soldier,  I  early  advo- 
cated the  organization  of  colored  regiments, —  not  for 
fatigue  or  garrison  duty,  but  for  field  service.  In 
October,  1863,  having  applied  for  a  position  in  the 
colored  service,  I  was  ordered  before  the  Board  of 
Examiners  at  Xashville,  where  I  spent  five  rather 
anxious  hours.  AVhen  I  entered  the  army,  I  knew 
absolutely  nothing  of  the  details  of  army  life,  had 
never  even  drilled  with  a  fire  company.    During  the 


10 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


first  three  months  I  gathered  little  except  a  some- 
what rough  miscellaneous  experience.  As  a  lieuten- 
ant and  stalf  officer  I  learned  something,  but  as  I 
never  had  at  nny  time  systematic  instruction  from 
anybody,  I  appeared  before  the  Board  with  little  else 
than  vigorous  health,  a  college  education,  a  little 
experience  as  a  soldier,  a  good  reputation  as  an  offi- 
cer, a  fair  amount  of  common  sense,  and  a  good  sup- 
ply of  zeal.  The  Board  averaged  me,  and  recom- 
mended me  for  a  Major. 

A  few  days  after  the  examination  I  received  an 
order  to  report  to  Major  George  L.  Stearns,  who 
had  charge  of  the  organization  of  colored  troops  in 
that  department.  He  assigned  me  to  duty  tempo- 
rarily in  a  camp  at  Nashville.  Major  Stearns  was  a 
merchant  in  Boston  who  had  been  for  years  an  ardent 
abolitionist,  and  who,  among  other  good  deeds,  had 
befriended  John  Brown.  He  was  a  large-hearted, 
broad-minded,  genial  gentleman.  When  the  policy 
of  organizing  colored  troops  was  adopted,  he  offered 
his  services  to  the  government,  received  an  appoint- 
ment as  Assistant  Adjutant  General,  and  was  ordered 
to  Nashville  to  organize   colored   regiments.  He 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


11 


acted  directly  under  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  inde- 
pendently of  the  Department  Commander.  To  his 
zeal,  good  judgment  and  efficient  labor,  was  largely 
due  the  success  of  the  work  in  the  West. 

November  1,  1863,  by  order  of  Major  Stearns,  I 
went  to  Gallatin,  Tennessee,  to  organize  the  Four- 
teenth United  States  Colored  Infantry.  General  E. 
A.  Paine  was  then  in  command  of  the  post  at  Galla- 
tin, having  under  him  a  small  detachment  of  white 
troops.  There  were  at  that  time  several  hundred 
negro  men  in  camp,  in  charge  of,  I  think,  a  lieuten- 
ant. They  were  a  motley  crowd — old,  young,  mid- 
dle-aged. Some  wore  the  United  States  uniform, 
but  most  of  them  had  on  the  clothes  in  which  they 
had  left  the  plantations,  or  had  worn  during  periods 
of  hard  service  as  laborers  in  the  army.  Gallatin 
at  that  time  was  threatened  with  an  attack  by  the 
guerrilla  bands  then  prowling  over  that  part  of  the 
State.  General  Paine  had  issued  a  hundred  old 
muskets  and  rifles  to  the  negroes  in  camp.  They 
V  had  not  passed  a  medical  examination,  had  no  com- 
pany organization,  and  had  had  no  drill.  Almost 
immediately  upon  my  arrival,  as  an  attack  was  immi- 


12 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


nent,  I  was  ordered  to  distribute  another  Imndied 
muskets,  and  to  "prepare  every  available  man  for 
fight."  I  did  the  best  I  could  under  the  circum- 
stances, but  am  free  to  say  that  I  regard  it  as  a  for- 
tunate circumstance  that  we  had  no  fio^htino'  to  do  at 
that  time.  But  the  men,  raw^  and  untutored  as  they 
were,  did  guard  and  picket  duty,  Avent  foraging, 
guarded  w^agon  trains,  scouted  after  guerrillas,  and  so 
learned  to  soldier  by  soldiering. 

As  soon  and  as  fast  as  practicable  I  set  about 
organizing  the  regiment.  I  was  a  complete  novice 
in  that  kind  of  work,  and  all  the  young  officers  who 
reported  to  me  for  service  had  been  promoted  from 
the  ranks,  and  were  without  experience  except  as 
soldiers.  The  colored  men  knew  nothing  of  the 
duties  of  a  soldier,  except  the  little  they  had  picked 
up  as  camp  followers.  Fortunately  there  was  one 
man,  a  Mr.  A.  H.  Dunlap,  who  had  had  some  cleri- 
cal experience  with  Colonel  Birney,  in  Baltimore,  in 
organizing  the  Third  United  States  Colored  Infantry. 
He  was  an  intelligent,  methodical  gentleman,  and 
rendered  me  invaluable  service.  I  had  no  quarter- 
master, no  surgeon,  no  adjutant.    We  had  no  tents. 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


13 


and  the  men  were  sheltered  in  an  old,  filthy  tobacco 
warehouse,  where  they  fiddled,  danced,  sang,  swore 
or  prayed,  according  to  their  mood. 

How  to  meet  the  daily  demands  made  upon  us  for 
military  duty,  and  at  the  same  time  to  evoke  order 
out  of  this  chaos,  was  no  easy  problem.  The  first 
thing  to  be  done  was  to  examine  the  men.  A  room 
was  prepared,  and  I  and  my  clerk  took  our  stations 
at  a  table.  One  by  one  the  recruits  came  before  us 
a  la  Eden,  sans  the  fig  leaves,  and  were  subjected 
to  a  careful  medical  examination,  those  who  were  in 
any  way  physically  disqualified  being  rejected. 
Many  bore  the  wounds  and  bruises  of  the  slave- 
driver's  lash,  and  many  were  unfit  for  duty  by  reason 
of  some  form  of  disease  to  which  human  flesh  is  heir. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  however,  we  had  a 
thousand  able-bodied,  stalwart  men. 

I  was  quite  as  solicitous  about  their  mental  condi- 
tion as  about  their  physical  status,  so  I  plied  them 
with  questions  as  to  their  history,  their  experience 
with  the  army,  their  motives  for  becoming  soldiers, 
their  ideas  of  army  life,  their  hopes  for  the  future, 
etc.,  etc.  I  found  that  a  considerable  number  of 
2 


14 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


them  had  been  teamsters,  cooks,  officers'  servants, 
etc.,  and  had  thus  seen  a  good  deal  of  hard  service 
in  both  armies,  in  camp,  on  the  march,  and  in  battle, 
and  so  knew  pretty  well  what  to  expect.  In  this 
respect  they  had  the  advantage  of  most  raw  recruits 
from  the  Xorth,  who  were  wholly  "unused  to  war's 
alarms."'  Some  of  them  had  very  noble  ideas  of 
manliness.  I  remember  picturing  to  one  bright- 
eyed  fellow  the  hardships  of  camp  life  and  campaign- 
ing, and  receiving  from  him  the  cheerful  answer : 
"  I  know  all  about  that."  I  then  said  :  You  may 
be  killed  in  battle."  He  instantly  replied  :  "Many 
a  better  man  than  me  has  been  killed  in  this  war." 
When  I  told  another  one  who  wanted  to  "  fight  for 
freedom,"  that  he  might  lose  his  life,  he  replied  : 
"But  my  people  will  be  free." 

The  result  of  this  careful  examination  convinced 
me  that  these  men,  though  black  in  skin,  had  men's 
hearts,  and  only  needed  right  handling  to  develop 
into  magnificent  soldiers.  Among  them  were  the 
same  varieties  of  physique,  temperament,  mental  and 
moral  endowments  and  experiences  as  would  be 
found  among  the  same  number  of  white  men.  Some 


WITH  COLORED  TKOOPS. 


15 


of  them  were  finely  formed  and  powerful,  some  were 
almost  white,  a  large  number  had  in  their  veins 
white  blood  of  the  F.  F.  Y.  quality,  some  were  men 
of  intelligence,  and  many  of  them  deeply  religious. 

Acting  upon  my  clerk's  suggestion,  I  assigned 
them  to  companies  according  to  height,  putting  men 
of  nearly  the  same  height  together.  When  the  reg- 
iment was  full,  the  four  centre  companies  were  all 
composed  of  tall  men,  the  flanking  companies  of  men 
of  medium  size,  while  the  little  men  were  sandwiched 
between.  The  effect  was  excellent  in  every  way, 
and  made  the  regiment  quite  unique.  It  was  not 
uncommon  to  have  strangers,  who  saw  it  on  parade 
for  the  first  time,  declare  that  the  men  were  all  of 
one  size. 

In  six  weeks  three  companies  were  filled,  uni- 
formed, armed,  and  had  been  taught  many  soldierly 
ways.  They  had  been  drilled  in  the  facings,  in  the 
manual  of  arms,  and  in  some  company  movements. 

November  twentieth.  General  George  H.  Thomas, 
commanding  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland, 
ordered  six  companies  to  Bridgeport,  Alabama, 
under  command  of  Major  H.  C.  Corbin.    I  was  left 


16 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


at  Gallatin  to  complete  the  organization  of  the  other 
four  companies.  When  the  six  companies  were  full, 
I  was  mustered  in  as  Lieutenant  Colonel.  The 
complete  organization  of  the  regiment  occupied  about 
two  months,  being  finished  by  January  1,  1864. 
The  field,  staff  and  company  officers  were  all  white 
men.  All  the  non-commissioned  officers,  hospital 
steward,  quartermaster  sergeant,  sergeant  major, 
orderlies,  sergeants  and  corporals  were  colored. 
They  proved  very  efficient,  and  had  the  war  con- 
tinued two  years  longer,  many  of  them  w^ould  have 
been  competent  as  commissioned  officers. 

When  General  Paine  left  Gallatin,  I  was  senior 
officer  and  had  command  of  the  post  and  garrison, 
which  included  a  few  white  soldiers,  besides  my  own 
troops.  Colored  soldiers  acted  as  pickets,  and  no 
citizen  was  allowed  to  pass  our  lines,  either  into  the 
village  or  out,  without  a  proper  permit.  Those  pre- 
senting themselves  without  a  pass  were  sent  to  head- 
quarters under  guard.  Thus  many  proud  southern 
slaveholders  found  themselves  marched  through  the 
streets  guarded  by  those  who  three  months  before 
had  been  slaves.    The  negroes  often  laughed  over 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


17 


these  changed  relations  as  they  sat  around  their  camp 
fires,  or  chatted  together  while  off  duty,  but  it  was 
very  rare  that  any  southerner  had  reason  to  com- 
plain of  any  unkind  or  uncivil  treatment  from  a  col- 
ored soldier. 

About  the  first  of  January  occurred  a  few  days  of 
extreme  cold  weather,  which  tried  the  men  sorely. 
One  morning,  after  one  of  the  most  bitter  cold  nights, 
the  officers  coming  in  from  picket  marched  the  men 
to  headquarters  and  called  attention  to  their  condi- 
tion—  their  feet  were  frosted,  and  their  hands 
frozen.  In  some  instances  the  skin  on  their  fingers 
had  broken  from  the  effects  of  the  cold.  It  was  sad 
to  see  their  sufferincf.  Some  of  them  never  recovered 
from  the  efi'ects  of  that  night,  yet  they  bore  it 
patiently,  uncomplainingly. 

An  incident  occurred  while  I  was  still  an  officer  in 
a  white  regiment  that  illustrates  the  curious  transi- 
tion through  which  the  negroes  were  passing.  I  had 
charge  of  a  company  detailed  to  guard  a  wagon  train 
out  foraging.  Early  one  morning,  just  as  we  were 
about  to  resume  our  march,  a  Kentucky  lieutenant 
rode  up  to  me,  saluted,  and  said  he  had  some  run- 


18 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


away  negroes  whom  he  had  arrested  to  send  back  to 
their  masters,  but  as  he  was  ordered  away,  he  would 
turn  them  over  to  me.  (At  that  time  a  reward  could 
be  claimed  for  returning  fugitive  slaves.)  I  took 
charge  of  them,  and  assuming  a  stern  look  and  man- 
ner inquired  :  "Where  are  you  going?"  "Going  to 
the  Yankee  army."  "What  for?"  "We  wants  to 
be  free,  sir."  "All  right,  you  are  free  ;  go  where 
you  wish."  The  satisfaction  that  came  to  me  from 
their  heartfelt  "Thankee,  sir;  thankee,  sir,"  gave 
me  some  faint  insight  into  the  sublime  joy  that  the 
great  Emancipator  must  have  felt  wlien  he  penned 
the  immortal  proclamation  that  set  free  four  millions 
of  human  beings.  These  men  afterw^ard  enlisted  in 
my  regiment  and  did  good  service.  One  day,  as  we 
were  on  the  march,  they,  through  their  lieutenant, 
reminded  me  of  the  circumstance,  which  they  seemed 
to  remember  with  lively  gratitude. 

The  six  companies  at  Bridgeport  were  kept  very 
busil}^  at  work,  and  had  but  little  opportunity  for 
drill.  Notwithstanding  these  difficulties,  however, 
considerable  progress  was  made  in  both  drill  and 
discipline.    I  made  earnest  elforts  to  get  the  regi- 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


19 


ment  united  and  reliev^ed  from  so  much  labor,  in 
order  that  they  might  be  prepared  for  efficient  field 
service  as  soldiers. 

In  January  I  had  a  personal  interview  with  Gen- 
eral Thomas,  and  secured  an  order  uniting  the  regi- 
ment at  Chattanooga.  We  entered  camp  there  under 
the  shadow  of  Lookout  Mountain,  and  in  full  view  of 
Mission  Ridge,  in  February,  1864.  During  the 
same  month.  Adjutant  General  Lorenzo  Thomas, 
from  Washington,  then  on  a  tour  of  inspection, 
visited  my  regiment  and  authorized  me  to  substitute 
the  eagle  for  the  silver  leaf. 

Chattanooga  Avas  at  that  time  the  headquarters  of 
the  Department  of  the  Cumberland.  General  Thomas 
and  statF,  and  a  considera])le  part  of  the  army,  were 
there.  Our  camp  was  laid  out  with  great  regularity, 
our  quarters  were  substantial,  comfortable,  and  well 
kept.  The  regiment  numbered  a  thousand  men, 
with  a  full  complement  of  field,  stafl',  line  and  non- 
commissioned officers.  We  had  a  good  drum  corps, 
and  a  band  provided  with  a  set  of  expensive  silver 
instruments.  We  were  also  fully  equipped,  the  men 
were  armed  with  rifled  muskets,  and  well  clothed. 


20 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


They  were  well  drilled  in  the  manual  of  arms,  and 
took  great  pride  in  appearing  on  parade  with  arms 
burnished,  belts  polished,  shoes  blacked,  clothes 
brushed,  in  full  regulation  uniform,  including  white 
gloves.  On  every  pleasant  day  our  parades  were 
witnessed  by  officers,  soldiers  and  citizens  from  the 
North.  It  w^as  not  unusual  to  have  two  thousand 
spectators.  Some  came  to  make  sport,  some  from 
curiosity,  some  because  it  was  the  fashion,  and  others 
from  a  genuine  desire  to  see  for  themselves  what 
sort  of  lookinj?  soldiers  nesrroes  would  make. 

At  the  time  that  the  work  of  organizing  colored 
troops  began  in  the  West,  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
bitter  prejudice  against  the  movement.  White 
troops  threatened  to  desert  if  the  plan  should  be 
really  carried  out.  Those  who  entered  the  service 
were  stigmatized  as  "nigger  officers,"  and  negro  sol- 
diers were  hooted  at  and  mistreated  by  white  troops. 

Apropos  of  the  prejudice  against  so-called  "nigger 
officers,"  I  may  mention  the  following  incident : 
While  an  officer  in  the  Seventieth  Indiana,  I  had 
met  and  formed  a  passing  acquaintance  with  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  ,  of  an  Ohio  regiment.    On  New 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


21 


Years  day,  1864,  I  chanced  to  meet  him  at  a  social 
gathering  at  General  Ward's  headquarters  in  Xash- 
ville.  I  spoke  to  him  as  usual,  at  the  same  time 
offering  my  hand,  which  apparently  he  did  not  see. 
Receiving  only  a  cool  bow  from  him,  I  at  once 
turned  away.  As  I  did  so  he  remarked  to  those 
standinof  near  him  that  he  ''did  not  recoo^nize  these 
nigger  officers."  A  report  of  the  occurrence  in  some 
way,  I  know  not  how,  came  to  the  ears  of  Lorenzo 
Thomas,  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  army,  then  in 
Nashville,  who  investigated  the  case,  and  promptly 
dismissed  Colonel  from  the  United  States  ser- 
vice. 

Very  few  West  Point  officers  had  any  faith  in  the 
success  of  the  enterprise,  and  most  northern  people, 
perhaps,  regarded  it  as  at  best  a  dubious  experiment. 
A  college  classmate  of  mine,  a  young  man  of  intelli- 
gence, and  earnestly  loyal,  although  a  Kentuckian  and 
a  slaveholder,  pleaded  with  me  to  abandon  my  plan  of 
entering  this  service,  saying  :  "  I  shudder  to  think  of 
the  remorse  you  may  suffer  from  deeds  done  by  bar- 
barians under  your  command." 

General  George  H.  Thomas,  though  a  southerner 


22 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


and  a  West  Point  graduate,  was  a  singularly  fair- 
minded,  candid  man.  He  asked  me  one  day,  soon 
after  my  regiment  was  organized,  if  I  thought  my 
men  would  fight.  I  replied  that  they  would.  He 
said  he  thought  ''they  might  behind  breastworks." 
I  said  they  would  light  in  the  open  field.  He  thought 
not.  "Give  me  a  chance.  General,"  I  answered, 
"and  I  will  prove  it."  Our  evening  parades  con- 
verted thousands  to  a  belief  in  colored  troops.  It 
was  almost  a  daily  experience  to  hear  the  remark 
from  visitors :  "  Men  who  can  handle  their  arms 
as  these  do,  will  fight."  General  Thomas  paid  us 
the  compliment  of  saying  that  he  "  never  saw  a 
regiment  go  through  the  manual  as  well  as  this 
one." 

We  remained  in  '*  Camp  Whipple  "  from  February, 
1864,  till  August,  1865,  a  period  of  eighteen  months, 
and  during  a  large  part  of  that  time  the  regiment 
was  an  object  lesson  to  the  army,  and  helped  to  rev- 
olutionize public  opinion  on  the  subject  of  colored 
soldiers. 

My  Lieutenant  Colonel  and  I  rode  over  one  even- 
ing to  call  on  General  Joe  Hooker,  commanding  the 


AVITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


23 


Twentieth  Army  Corps.  He  occupied  a  small  log 
hut  in  the  Wauhatchie  valley,  near  Lookout  Moun- 
tain, and  not  far  from  the  Tennessee  river.  He 
received  us  with  great  courtesy,  and  Avhen  he  learned 
that  we  were  officers  in  a  colored  regiment  congratu- 
lated us  on  our  good  fortune,  saying  that  he  believed 
they  would  make  the  best  troops  in  the  world.  He 
predicted  that  after  the  rebellion  was  subdued,  it 
would  be  necessary  for  the  United  States  to  send  an 
army  into  Mexico.  This  army  would  be  composed 
largely  of  colored  men,  and  those  of  us  now  holding 
high  command  would  have  a  chance  to  win  great 
renown.  He  lamented  that  he  had  made  a  great 
mistake  in  not  accepting  a  military  command  and 
going  to  Nicaraugua  with  General  Walker.  "  Why," 
said  he,  "young  gentlemen,  I  might  have  founded  an 
empire  !" 

While  at  Chattanooga  I  organized  two  other  regi- 
ments, the  Forty-second  and  the  Forty-fourth  United 
States  Colored  Infantry.  In  addition  to  ordinary 
instruction  in  the  duties  required  of  the  soldier,  we 
established  in  every  company  a  regular  school,  teach- 
ing the  men  to  read  and  write,  and  taking  great  pains 


24 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


to  cultivate  in  them  self-respect  and  all  manly  quali- 
ties. Our  success  in  this  respect  was  ample  com- 
pensation for  our  labor.  The  men  who  went  on 
picket  or  guard  duty  took  their  books,  as  quite  as 
indispensable  as  their  coft'ee  pots. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  Ave  had  only  plain 
sailing.  Soon  after  reaching  Chattanooga  heavy 
details  began  to  be  made  upon  us  for  men  to  work 
upon  the  fortifications  then  in  process  of  construction 
around  the  town.  This  incessant  labor  interfered 
sadly  with  our  drill,  and  at  one  time  all  drill  was 
suspended  by  orders  from  headquarters.  There 
seemed  little  prospect  of  our  ])eing  ordered  to  the 
field,  and  as  time  wore  on  and  arrangements  began 
in  earnest  for  the  new  campaign  against  Atlanta,  we 
began  to  grow  impatient  of  work  and  anxious  for 
opportunity  for  drill  and  preparations  for  field  ser- 
vice. 

I  used  every  means  to  bring  about  a  change,  for 
I  believed  that  the  ultimate  status  of  the  negro  was 
to  be  determined  by  his  conduct  on  the  battle-field. 
Nobody  doubted  that  he  would  work,  while  many  did 
doubt  that  he  had  the  courage  to  stand  up  and  fight 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


25 


like  a  man.  If  he  could  take  his  place  side  by  side 
with  the  white  soldier,  endure  the  same  hardships  on 
the  campaign,  face  the  same  enemy,  storm  the  same 
works,  resist  the  same  assaults,  evince  the  same  sol- 
dierly qualities,  he  would  compel  that  respect  which 
the  world  has  always  accorded  to  heroism,  and  win 
for  himself  the  same  laurels  which  brave  soldiers 
have  ever  worn. 

Personally  I  shrink  from  danger,  and  most  decid- 
edly prefer  a  safe  corner  at  my  own  fireside  to  an 
exposed  place  in  the  face  of  an  enemy  on  the  battle- 
field, but  so  strongly  was  I  persuaded  of  the  impor- 
tance of  giving  colored  troops  a  fair  field  and  full 
opportunity  to  show  of  what  mettle  they  were  made, 
that  I  lost  no  chance  of  insisting  upon  our  right  to  be 
ordered  into  the  field.  At  one  time  I  was  threat- 
ened with  dismissal  from  the  service  for  my  per- 
sistency, but  that  did  not  deter  me,  for  though  I  had 
no  yearning  for  martyrdom,  I  was  determined,  if 
possible,  to  put  my  regiment  into  battle  at  whatever 
cost  to  myself.  As  I  look  back  upon  the  matter, 
after  twenty-one  years,  I  see  no  reason  to  regret  my 
action,  unless  it  be  that  I  was  not  even  more  per- 

3 


26 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


sistent  in  claiming  for  tliese  men  the  rights  of  sol- 
diers. 

I  was  grievously  disappointed  when  the  first  of 
May,  1864,  came,  and  the  army  was  to  start  south, 
leaving  us  behind  to  hold  the  forts  we  had  helped  to 
build.  I  asked  General  Thomas  to  allow  me  at  least 
to  go  along.  He  readily  consented,  and  directed  me 
to  report  to  General  0.0.  Howard,  commanding 
the  Fourth  Army  Corps,  as  volunteer  aide.  I  did 
so,  and  remained  with  him  thirty  days,  participa- 
ting in  the  battles  of  Buzzards  Roost,  Resaca,  Adairs- 
ville  and  Dallas.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  having 
gained  invaluable  experience,  and  feeling  that  my 
place  was  with  my  regiment,  I  returned  to  Chatta- 
nooga determined  to  again  make  every  possible  elFort 
to  get  it  into  active  service. 

A  few  days  after  I  had  taken  my  place  on  General 
Howard's  stafi*  an  incident  occurred,  showing  how 
narrowiy  one  may  escape  death.  General  Stanley 
and  a  staff  officer,  and  General  Howard  and  myself 
were  making  a  little  reconnoissance  at  Buzzards 
Roost.  We  stopped  to  observe  the  movements  of 
the  enemy,  Stanley  standing  on  the  right,  Howard 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


27 


next  on  his  left,  and  I  next.  The  fourth  officer,  Cap- 
tain Flint,  stood  immediately  in  rear  of  General 
Howard.  A  sharpshooter  paid  us  a  compliment  in 
the  shape  of  a  rifle  ball,  which  struck  the  ground  in 
front  of  General  Howard,  riccocheted,  passed  through 
the  skirt  of  his  coat,  through  Captain  Flint's  cap, 
and  buried  itself  in  a  tree  behind. 

At  Adairsville  a  group  of  about  a  dozen  mounted 
officers  were  in  an  open  field,  when  the  enemy  ex- 
ploded a  shell  just  in  front  and  over  us,  wounding 
two  officers  and  five  horses.  A  piece  of  the  shell 
passed  through  the  right  fore  leg  of  my  horse,  a 
kind,  docile,  fearless  animal,  that  I  was  greatly 
attached  to.    I  lost  a  friend  and  faithful  servant. 

On  asking  leave  to  return  to  my  command,  I  was 
delighted  to  receive  from  General  Howard  the  fol- 
lowing pleasant  note  : 

Headquaetees  Foueth  Aemy  Coeps,  -v 
On  Ackwoetii  axd  Dallas  Road,  I 
8  miles  from  Dallas,  Ga.,  May  31,  1864.  J 

Colonel  :  —  This  is  to  express  my  thanks  for  your  services  upon 
my  staff  during  the  past  month,  since  starting  on  this  campaign. 
You  have  given  me  always  full  satisfaction,  and  more,  by  your 
assiduous  devotion  to  duty. 


28 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


You  have  been  active  and  untiring  on  the  march,  and  fearless  in 
battle. 

Believe  me  your  friend, 

O.  0.  Howard, 
Major  Gen.  Com'd'g  Fourth  Corps. 
To  Col.  T.  J.  Morgan,  Com'd'g  U.  S.  C.  T. 

General  James  B.  Steadman,  who  won  such  im- 
perishable renown  at  Chickamauga,  was  then  in 
command  of  the  District  of  Etowah,  with  head- 
quarters at  Chattanooga.  I  laid  my  case  before  him ; 
he  listened  with  interest  to  my  plea,  and  assured  me 
that  if  there  was  any  fighting  to  be  done  in  his  dis- 
tyct,  we  should  have  a  hand  in  it. 

August  15,  1864,  we  had  our  first  fight  at  Dalton, 
Georgia.  General  Wheeler,  with  a  considerable 
force  of  rebel  cavalry,  attacked  Dalton,  which  was 
occupied  by  a  small  detachment  of  Union  troops 
belonging  to  the  Second  Missouri,  under  command 
of  Colonel  Laibold.  General  Steadman  went  to 
Laibold's  aid,  and  forming  line  of  battle,  attacked 
and  routed  the  southern  force.  My  regiment  formed 
on  the  left  of  the  Fifty-first  Indiana  Infantry,  under 
command  of  Colonel  A.  D.  Streight.  The  fight  was 
short,  and  not  at  all  severe.    The  regiment  was  all 


WITH  COLORED  TROOrS. 


29 


exposed  to  fire.  One  private  was  killed,  one  lost  a 
leg,  and  one  was  wounded  in  the  right  hand.  Com- 
pany B,  on  the  skirmish  line,  killed  five  of  the  enemy 
and  wounded  others.  To  us  it  was  a  great  battle, 
and  a  glorious  victory.  The  regiment  had  been 
recognized  as  soldiers.  It  had  taken  its  place  side 
by  side  with  a  white  regiment.  It  had  been  under 
fire.  The  men  had  behaved  gallantly.  A  colored 
soldier  had  died  for  liberty.  Others  had  shed  their 
blood  in  the  great  cause.  Two  or  three  incidents 
will  indicate  the  significance  of  the  day.  Just  before 
going  into  the  fight.  Lieutenant  Keinborts  said  to  his 
men  :  "Boys,  some  of  you  may  be  killed,  but  remem- 
ber you  are  fighting  for  liberty."  Henry  Prince 
replied  :  "I  am  ready  to  die  for  liberty."  In  fifteen 
minutes  he  lay  dead,  a  rifle  ball  through  his  heart,  a 
willing  martyr.  During  the  engagement,  General 
Steadman  asked  his  aide.  Captain  Davis,  to  look 
especially  after  the  Fourteenth  Colored,  as  he  did 
not  know  how  they  would  stand  fire.  Captain  Davis 
rode  up  just  as  I  was  quietly  rectifying  my  line, 
which  in  a  charge  had  been  disarranged.  Davis, 
putting  spurs  to  his  horse,  dashed  back  to  the  Gen- 


30 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


eral,  and  reassured  him  by  reporting  that  "  the  regi- 
ment was  holding  dress  parade  over  there  under 
fire."  After  the  fight,  as  we  marched  into  town 
through  a  drenching  rain,  a  white  regiment,  standing 
at  rest,  swung  their  hats  and  gave  three  rousing 
cheers  for  the  Fourteenth  Colored.  Colonel  Streight's 
command  were  so  pleased  with  the  gallantry  of  our 
men  that  many  of  them  afterward,  on  being  asked  : 
"What  regiment?"  frequently  replied:  "Fifty-first 
Colored." 

During  the  month  of  August  we  had  some  very 
hard  marching  in  a  vain  efib rt  to  have  another  brush 
with  AYheeler's  cavalry. 

The  corn  in  East  Tennessee  was  in  good  plight  for 
roasting,  and  our  men  showed  great  facility  in  cook- 
ing, and  marvellous  capacity  in  devouring  it.  Ten 
large  ears  were  not  too  much  for  many  of  them.  On 
resuming  our  march  one  day  after  the  noon  halt,  one, 
of  the  soldiers  declared  himself  unable  to  walk,  and 
asked  permission  to  ride  in  an  ambulance.  His  com- 
rades said  that  having  already  eaten  twelve  ears  of 
corn,  and  finding  himself  unable  to  finish  the  thir- 
teenth, he  concluded  that  he  must  be  sick  and  unfit 
for  duty. 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


31 


September  27,  1864,  I  reported  to  Major  General 
Eousseau,  commanding  a  force  of  cavalry  at  Pulaski, 
Tennessee.  As  we  approached  the  town  by  rail  from 
Nashville,  we  heard  artillery,  then  musketry,  and  as 
we  left  the  cars  we  saw  the  smoke  of  guns.  Forest, 
with  a  large  force  of  cavalry,  had  been  steadily  driv- 
ing Rousseau  before  him  all  day,  and  was  destroying 
the  railroad.  Finding  the  General,  I  said;  "I  am 
ordered  to  report  to  you,  sir."  "What  have  you?" 
"Two  regiments  of  colored  troops."  Rousseau  was 
a  Kentuckian,  and  had  not  much  faith  in  negro  sol- 
diers. By  his  direction  I  threw  out  a  strong  line  of 
skirmishers,  and  posted  the  regiments  on  a  ridge,  in 
good  supporting  distance.  Rousseau's  men  retired 
behind  my  line,  and  Forest's  men  pressed  forward 
until  they  met  our  fire,  and  recognizing  the  sound  of 
the  minie  ball  stopped  to  reflect. 

The  massacre  of  colored  troops  at  Fort  Pillow  was 
well  known  to  us,  and  had  been  fully  discussed  by 
our  men.  It  was  rumored,  and  thoroughly  credited 
by  them,  that  General  Forest  had  offered  a  thousand 
dollars  for  the  head  of  any  commander  of  a  "  nigger  " 
regiment.    Here,  then,  was  just  such  an  opportunity 


32 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


as  those  spoiling  for  a  light  might  desire.  Negro 
troops  stood  face  to  face  with  Forest's  veteran  cav- 
alry. The  firing  was  growing  hotter,  and  balls  were 
uncomfortably  thick.  At  length  the  enemy,  in 
strong  force,  with  banners  flying,  bore  down  toward 
us  in  full  sight,  apparently  bent  on  mischief.  Point- 
ing to  the  advancing  column  I  said,  as  I  passed  along 
the  line  :  "  Boys,  it  looks  very  much  like  fight.  Keep 
cool ;  do  your  duty."  They  seemed  full  of  glee,  and 
replied  with  great  enthusiasm:  "Col'nel,  dey  can't 
whip  us  ;  dey  nebber  git  de  ole  Fourteenth  out  of 
heah,  nebber."  "  Nebber  drives  us  away  widout  a 
mighty  lot  of  dead  men,"  etc.,  etc.  When  Forest 
learned  that  Rousseau  was  reinforced  by  infantry,  he 
did  not  stop  to  ask  about  the  color  of  the  skin,  but 
after  testing  our  line,  and  finding  it  unyielding, 
turned  to  the  east,  and  struck  over  toward  Murfrees- 
boro. 

An  incident  occurred  here  illustrating  the  humor 
of  the  colored  soldier.  A  spent  ball  struck  one  of 
the  men  on  the  side  of  the  head,  passed  under  the 
scalp,  and  making  nearly  a  circuit  of  the  skull,  came 
out  on   the   other   side.     His   comrades  merrily 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS . 


33 


declared  that  when  the  ball  struck  him,  it  sang  out 
"too  thick,"  and  passed  on. 

As  I  was  walking  with  my  adjutant  down  toward 
the  picket  line,  a  ball  struck  the  ground  immediately 
in  front  of  us,  about  four  feet  away,  but  was  so  far 
spent  as  to  be  harmless.  We  picked  it  up  and  car- 
ried it  along. 

Our  casualties  consisted  of  a  few  men  slightly 
wounded.  We  had  not  had  a  battle,  but  it  was  for 
us  a  victory,  for  our  troops  had  stood  face  to  face 
with  a  triumphant  troop  of  southern  cavalry,  and 
stopped  their  progress.  They  saw  that  they  had 
done  what  Kousseau's  veterans  could  not  do.  Hav- 
ing travelled  four  hundred  and  sixty-two  miles,  we 
returned  to  Chattanooga,  feeling  that  we  had  gained 
valuable  experience,  and  we  eagerly  awaited  the  next 
opportunity  for  battle,  which  was  not  long  deferred. 

Our  next  active  service  was  at  Decatur,  Alabama. 
Hood,  with  his  veteran  army  that  had  fought  Sher- 
man so  gallantly  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  find- 
ing that  his  great  antagonist  had  started  southward 
and  seaward,  struck  out  boldly  himself  for  Nashville. 
October  twenty-seventh  I  reported  to  General  li.  S. 


34 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


Granger,  commanding  at  Decatur,  Alabama.  His 
little  force  was  closely  besieged  by  Hood's  army, 
whose  right  rested  on  the  Tennessee  river,  below  the. 
town,  and  whose  left  extended  far  beyond  our  lines, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  town.  Two  companies  of 
my  regiment  were  stationed  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  from  Hood's  right,  and  kept  up  an  annoy- 
ing musketry  fire.  Lieutenant  Gillet,  of  Company 
G,  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  cannon  ball,  and 
some  of  the  enlisted  men  were  hurt.  One  private 
soldier  in  Company  B,  who  had  taken  position  in  a 
tree  as  a  sharpshooter,  had  his  right  arm  broken  by 
a  ball.  Captain  Romeyn  said  to  him:  "You  would 
better  come  down  from  there,  go  to  the  rear  and  find 
the  surgeon."  "Oh,  no.  Captain,"  was  his  reply,  "I 
can  fire  with  my  left  arm,"  and  so  he  did. 

Another  soldier  of  Company  B  was  walking  along 
the  road,  when,  hearing  an  approaching  cannon  ball, 
he  dropped  flat  upon  the  ground  and  was  almost 
instantly  well  nigh  covered  with  the  dirt  ploughed  up 
by  it,  as  it  struck  the  ground  near  by.  Captain 
Romeyn,  who  witnessed  the  incident,  and  who  was 
greatly  amused  by  the  fellow's  trepidation,  asked 


WITH  COLOKED  TROOPS. 


35 


him  if  he  was  frightened.  His  reply  was  :  "Fore, 
God,  Captain,  I  thought  I  was  a  dead  man,  sure." 

Friday,  October  28,  1864,  at  twelve  o'clock,  at 
the  head  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-five  men,  in  obe- 
dience to  orders  from  General  Granger,  I  charged 
and  took  a  rebel  battery  with  a  loss  of  sixty  officers 
and  men  killed  and  wounded.  After  capturing  the 
battery  and  spiking  the  guns,  which  we  were  unable 
to  remove,  we  retired  to  our  former  place  on  the  line 
of  defense.  The  conduct  of  the  men  on  this  occa- 
sion was  most  admirable,  and  drew  forth  high  praise 
from  Generals  Granger  and  Thomas.  Hood  having 
decided  to  push  on  to  Nashville  without  assaulting 
Decatur,  withdrew.  As  soon  as  I  missed  his  troops 
from  my  front,  I  notified  the  General  commanding, 
and  was  ordered  to  pursue  with  the  view  of  finding 
where  he  was.  About  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning, 
my  skirmishers  came  up  with  his  rear  guard,  which 
opened  upon  us  a  brisk  infantry  fire.  Lieutenant 
Woodworth,  standing  at  my  side,  fell  dead,  pierced 
through  the  face.  General  Granger  ordered  me  to 
retire  inside  the  works.  The  regiment,  although 
exposed  to  a  sharp  fire,  came  ofi*  in  splendid  order. 


36 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


As  we  marched  inside  the  works,  the  white  troops 
who  had  watched  the  manoeuvre,  gave  us  three  rous- 
ing cheers.  I  have  heard  the  Pope's  famous  choir  at 
St.  Peter's,  and  the  great  organ  at  Freiburg,  but  the 
music  was  not  so  sweet  as  the  hearty  plaudits  of  our 
brave  comrades. 

As  indicating  the  change  in  public  sentiment  rela- 
tive to  colored  troops,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the 
Lieutenant  Colonel  commanding  the  Sixty-eighth  In- 
diana Volunteer  Infantry,  requested  me  as  a  personal 
favor  to  ask  for  the  assignment  of  his  regiment  to  my 
command,  giving  as  a  reason  that  his  soldiers  would 
rather  fight  alongside  of  the  Fourteenth  Colored, 
than  with  any  white  regiment.  He  was  ordered  to 
report  to  me. 

After  Hood  had  gone,  I  returned  to  Chattanooga, 
but  not  to  remain.  (We  had  travelled  two  hundred 
and  forty-four  miles.) 

November  twenty-ninth,  in  command  of  the  Four- 
teenth, Sixteenth  and  Forty-fourth  Regiments, 
United  States  Colored  Infantry,  I  embarked  on  a 
railroad  train  at  Chattanooga  for  Nashville.  On 
December  first,  with  the  Sixteenth  and  most  of  the 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


37 


Fourteenth,  I  reached  my  destination  and  was  as- 
signed to  a  phice  on  the  extreme  left  of  General 
Thomas's  army,  then  concentrating  for  the  defense 
of  Nashville  against  Hood's  threatened  attack. 

The  train  that  contained  the  Forty-fourth  Col- 
ored Regiment,  and  two  companies  of  the  Fourteenth, 
under  command  of  Colonel  Johnson,  was  delayed 
near  Murfreesboro  until  December  second,  when  it 
started  for  Nashville,  but  when  crossing  a  bridge  not 
far  from  the  city  its  progress  was  suddenly  checked 
by  a  cross  fire  of  cannon  belonging  to  Forest's  com- 
mand. I  had  become  very  anxious  over  the  delay 
in  the  arrival  of  these  troops,  and  when  I  heard  the 
roar  of  cannon,  thought  it  must  be  aimed  at  them. 
I  never  shall  forget  the  intensity  of  my  suffering  as 
hour  after  hour  passed  by  bringing  me  no  tidings. 
Were  they  all  captured?  Had  they  been  massa- 
cred? Who  could  answer  ?  No  one.  What  was  to 
be  done  ?  Nothing ;  I  could  only  wait  and  suffer. 
The  next  day.  Colonel  Johnson  reached  Nashville, 
reporting  that  when  stopped,  he  and  his  men  were 
forced  under  heavy  fire  to  abandon  the  train,  clamber 
down  from  the  bridge  and  run  to  a  block  house  near 
4 


38 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


by,  which  had  been  erected  for  the  defense  of  the 
bridge,  and  was  still  in  possession  of  Union  soldiers. 
-After  maintaining  a  stubborn  fight  until  far  into  the 
night,  he  withdrew  his  troops,  and  making  a  detour 
to  the  east,  came  into  our  lines,  having  lost  in  killed, 
wounded  and  missing  two  officers  and  eighty  men  of 
the  Forty-fourth,  and  twenty-five  men  of  the  Four- 
teenth. 

Just  as  Captain  C.  W.  Baker,  the  senior  officer  of 
the  Fourteenth,  was  leaving  the  car,  a  piece  of  shell 
carried  away  the  top  of  his  cap,  and  thus  added 
immensely  to  its  value  —  as  a  souvenir.  Some  of  the 
soldiers  that  escaped  lost  everything  except  the 
clothes  they  had  on,  including  knapsacks,  blankets 
and  arms.  In  some  cases  they  lay  in  the  water  hid- 
ing for  hours,  until  they  could  escape  their  pursuers. 

Soon  after  taking  our  position  in  line  at  Nashville, 
we  w^ere  closely  besieged  by  Hood's  army,  and  thus 
w^e  lay  facing  each  other  for  two  weeks.  Hood  had 
sujffered  so  terribly  by  his  defeat  under  Schofield  at 
Franklin,  that  he  was  in  no  mood  to  assault  us  in  our 
works,  and  Thomas  needed  more  time  to  concen- 
trate and  reorganize  his  army  before  he  could  safely 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


39 


take  the  offensive.  That  fortnight  interval  was  mem- 
orable indeed.  Hood's  army  was  desperate.  It  had 
been  thwarted  by  Sherman,  and  thus  far  baffled  by 
Thomas,  and  Hood  felt  that  he  must  strike  a  bold 
blow  to  compensate  for  the  dreadful  loss  of  prestige 
occasioned  by  Sherman's  "march  to  the  sea."  His 
men  were  scantily  clothed  and  poorly  fed ;  if  he 
could  gain  Nashville,  our  great  depot  of  supplies,  he 
could  furnish  his  troops  with  abundance  of  food, 
clothing  and  war  material,  encourage  the  Confed- 
eracy, terrify  the  people  of  the  North,  regain  a  vast 
territory  taken  from  the  South  at  such  great  cost  to 
us,  recruit  his  army  from  Kentucky,  and  perhaps 
invade  the  North. 

Thomas  well  knew  the  gravity  of  the  situation, 
and  was  unwilling  to  hazard  all  by  a  premature  bat- 
tle. I  think  that  neither  he,  nor  any  of  his  army, 
ever  doubted  the  issue  of  the  battle  when  it  should 
come,  whichever  force  should  take  the  initiative. 
The  authorities  at  Washington  grew  restive,  and  the 
people  at  the  North  nervous.  Thomas  was  ordered 
to  fight ;  Logan  was  dispatched  to  relieve  him  if  he 
did  not,  and  Grant  himself  started  West  to  take  com- 


40 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


niand.  Thomas  was  too  good  a  soldier  to  be  forced 
to  offer  battle  until  he  was  sure  of  victory.  He  knew 
that  time  was  his  best  ally,  every  day  adding  to  his 
strength  and  weakening  his  enemy.  In  the  mean- 
time the  weather  became  intensely  cold,  and  a  heavy 
sleet  covered  the  ground,  rendering  it  almost  impos- 
sible for  either  army  to  move  at  all.  For  a  few  days 
our  sufferings  were  quite  severe.  We  had  only 
shelter  tents  for  the  troops,  with  very  little  fuel,  and 
many  of  our  men  who  had  lost  their  blankets  keenly 
felt  their  need. 

On  December  fifth,  before  the  storm,  by  order  of 
General  Steadman,  I  made  a  little  reconnoissance, 
capturing  with  slight  loss  Lieutenant  Gardner  and 
six  men  from  the  Fifth  Mississippi  Regiment. 
December  seventh  we  made  another,  in  which  Col- 
onel Johnson  and  three  or  four  men  were  wounded. 
On  one  of  these  occasions,  while  my  men  were  ad- 
vancing in  face  of  a  sharp  fire,  a  rabbit  started  up  in 
front  of  them.  With  shouts  of  laughter  several  of 
them  gave  chase,  showing  that  even  battle  could  not 
obliterate  the  negro's  love  of  sport. 

But  the  great  day  drew  near.    The  weather  grew 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


41 


warmer,  the  ice  gave  way,  Thomas  was  ready,  and 
calling  together  his  chiefs,  laid  before  them  his  plan 
of  battle. 

About  nine  o'clock  at  night,  December  14,  1864, 
I  was  summoned  to  General  Steadman's  headquarters. 
He  told  me  what  the  plan  of  battle  was,  and  said  he 
wished  me  to  open  the  fight  by  making  a  vigorous 
assault  upon  Hood's  right  flank.  This,  he  explained, 
was  to  be  a  feint,  intended  to  betray  Hood  into  the 
belief  that  it  was  the  real  attack,  and  lead  him  to 
support  his  right  by  weakening  his  left,  where 
Thomas  intended  to  assault  him  in  very  deed.  The 
General  gave  me  the  Fourteenth  United  States  Col- 
ored Infantry,  under  Colonel  H.  C.  Corbin  ;  the  Sev- 
enteenth United  States  Colored  Infantry,  under  the 
gallant  Colonel  W.  R.  Shafter ;  a  detachment  of  the 
Eighteenth  United  States  Colored  Infantry,  under 
Major  L.  D.  Joy;  the  Forty-fourth  United  States 
Colored  Infiuitry,  under  Colonel  L.  Johnson  ;  a  pro- 
visional brigade  of  white  troops  under  Colonel  C. 
H.  Grosvenor,  and  a  section  of  artillery  under  Cap- 
tain Osborn,  of  the  Twentieth  Indiana  Battery.  The 
largest  force  I  had  ever  handled  was  two  regiments. 


42 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


and  as  I  rather  wanted  to  open  the  battle  in  proper 
style,  I  asked  General  Steadman  what  suggestions 
he  had  to  make.  He  replied  :  "  Colonel,  to-morrow 
morning,  at  daylight,  I  want  you  to  open  the  battle." 
"All  right.  General.  Do  you  not  think  it  would  be 
a  good  plan  for  me  to — and  I  outlined  a  little  plan 
of  attack.  With  a  twinkle  in  his  kindly  eye  he 
replied  :  "To-morrow  morning,  Colonel,  just  as  soon 
as  you  can  see  how  to  put  your  troops  in  motion,  I 
wish  you  to  begin  the  fight."  "All  right.  General; 
good  night."  With  these  explicit  instructions  I  left 
his  headquarters,  returned  to  camp,  gave  the  requi- 
site orders  for  the  soldiers  to  have  an  early  break- 
fast and  be  ready  for  serious  work  at  daybreak. 
Then  taking  Adjutant  Clelland  I  reconnoitered  the 
enemy's  position,  tracing  the  line  of  his  camp  fires, 
and  decided  on  my  plan  of  assault.  The  morning 
dawned  with  a  dense  fog,  which  held  us  in  check  for 
some  time  after  we  were  ready  to  march. 

During  our  stay  at  Nashville,  I  was  the  guest  of 
Major  W.  B.  Lewis,  throftgh  whose  yard  ran  our 
line.  He  had  been  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
Andrew  Jackson,  occupying  a  place  in  the  Treasury 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


43 


Department  during  his  administration.  He  gave  me 
the  room  formerly  occupied  by  the  hero  of  New 
Orleans,  and  entertained  me  with  many  anecdotes  of 
him.  I  remember  in  particular  one  which  I  espec- 
ially appreciated,  because  of  the  scarcity  of  fuel  in 
our  own  camp.  At  onetime  General  Jackson  ordered 
certain  troops  to  rendevouz  for  a  few  days  at  Nash- 
ville. Major  Lewis,  acting  as  quartermaster,  laid 
in  a  supply  of  several  hundred  cords  of  wood,  which 
he  supposed  would  be  ample  to  last  during  their 
entire  stay  in  the  city.  The  troops  arrived  on  a 
"raw  and  gusty  day,"  and  being  accustomed  to  com- 
fortable fires  at  home,  they  burned  up  ever;^  stick 
the  first  night,  to  the  Quartermaster's  great  conster- 
nation. 

To  return.  On  the  morning  of  December  fif- 
teenth, Major  Lewis  said  he  would  have  a  servant 
bring  me  my  breakfast,  which  was  not  ready,  how- 
ever, when  I  started.  The  boy,  with  an  eye  to 
safety,  followed  me  afar  oflf,  so  far  that  he  only 
reached  me,  I  think,  about  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. But  I  really  believe  the  delay  improved  the 
flavor  of  the  breakfast. 


44 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


As  soon  as  the  fog  lifted,  the  battle  began  in  good 
earnest.  Hood  mistook  my  assault  for  an  attack  in 
force  upon  his  right  flank,  and  weakening  his  left  in 
order  to  meet  it,  gave  the  coveted  opportunity  to 
Thomas,  who  improved  it  by  assailing  Hood's  left 
flank,  doubling  it  up,  and  capturing  a  large  number 
of  prisoners. 

Thus  the  first  day's  fight  wore  away.  It  had  been 
for  us  a  severe  but  glorious  day.  Over  three  hun- 
dred of  my  command  had  fallen,  but  everywhere  our 
army  w^as  successful.  Victory  perched  upon  our 
banners.  Hood  had  stubbornly  resisted,  but  had 
been  ^llantly  driven  back  with  severe  loss.  The 
left  had  done  its  duty.  General  Steadman  con- 
gratulated us,  saying  his  only  fear  had  been  that  we 
might  fight  too  hard.  We  had  done  all  he  desired, 
and  more.  Colored  soldiers  had  fought  side  by  side 
with  white  troops.  They  had  mingled  together  in 
the  charge.  They  had  supported  each  other.  They 
had  assisted  each  other  from  the  field  when  wounded, 
and  they  lay  side  by  side  in  death.  The  survivors 
rejoiced  together  over  a  hard-fought  field,  won  by  a 
common  valor.    All  who  witnessed  their  conduct 


WITH  COLORED  TKOOPS. 


45 


gave  them  equal  praise.  The  day  that  we  had  longed 
to  see  had  come  and  gone,  and  the  sun  went  down 
upon  a  record  of  coolness,  bravery,  manliness,  never 
to  be  unmade.  A  new  chapter  in  the  history  of  lib- 
erty had  been  written.  It  had  been  shown  that 
marching  under  a  flag  of  freedom,  animated  by  a 
love  of  liberty,  even  the  slave  becomes  a  man  and  a 
hero. 

At  one  time  during  the  day,  while  the  battle  was 
in  progress,  I  sat  in  an  exposed  place  on  a  piece  of 
ground  sloping  down  toward  the  enemy,  and  being 
the  only  horseman  on  that  part  of  the  field,  soon 
became  a  target  for  the  balls  that  whistled  and  sang 
their  threatening  songs  as  they  hurried  by.  At 
length  a  shot  aimed  at  me  struck  my  horse  in  the 
face  just  above  the  nostril,  and  passing  up  under  the 
skin  emerged  near  the  eye,  doing  the  horse  only 
temporary  harm,  and  letting  me  off  scot  free,  much 
to  my  delight,  as  maybe  supposed.  Captain  Baker, 
lying  on  the  ground  near  by,  heard  the  thud  of  the 
ball  as  it  struck  the  horse,  and  seeing  me  land  on 
the  ground,  cried  out:  "The  Colonel's  shot,"  and 
sprang  to  my  side,  glad  enough  to  find  that  the  poor 


4r>  REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 

liorse's  face  had  been  a  shield  to  save  my  life.  I  was 
sorry  that  the  animal  could  not  appreciate  the  grati- 
tude I  felt  to  it  for  my  deliverance. 

During  that  night  Hood  withdrew  his  army  some 
two  miles,  and  took  up  a  new  line  along  the  crest  of 
some  low  hills,  which  he  strongly  fortified  with  some 
improvised  breastworks  andabattis.  Soon  after  our 
early  breakfast  we  moved  forward  over  the  inter- 
vening space.  My  position  was  still  on  the  extreme 
left  of  our  line,  and  I  was  especially  charged  to  look 
well  to  our  flank  to  avoid  surprise. 

The  Second  Colored  Brigade,  under  Col.  Thomp- 
son, of  the  Twelfth  United  States  Colored  Infan- 
try, was  on  my  right  and  participated  in  the  first 
charge  upon  Overton's  Hill,  which  was  repulsed.  I 
stood  where  the  whole  movement  was  in  full  view. 
It  was  a  grand  and  terrible  sight  to  see  those  men 
climb  that  hill  over  rocks  and  fallen  trees,  in  the  face 
of  a  murderous  fire  of  cannon  and  musketry,  and 
often  reaching  the  enemy's  works  only  to  be  driven 
back.  White  and  black  mingled  together  in  the 
charge  and  on  the  retreat. 

When  the  Second  Colored  Brigade  retired  behind 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


47 


my  line  to  reform,  one  of  the  regimental  color-bear- 
ers stopped  in  the  open  space  between  the  two  armies, 
where,  although  exposed  to  a  dangerous  fire,  he 
planted  his  flag  firmly  in  the  ground,  and  began 
deliberately  and  coolly  to  return  the  enemy's  fire  ; 
and,  greatly  to  our  amusement,  kept  up  for  some  lit- 
tle time  his  independent  warfare. 

When  the  second  and  final  assault  was  made,  the 
right  of  my  line  took  part..  It  was  with  breathless 
interest  I  watched  that  noble  army  climb  that  hill 
with  a  steady  resolve  which  nothing  but  death  itself 
could  check.  When  at  length  the  assaulting  column 
sprang  upon  the  earthworks,  and  the  enemy  seeing 
that  further  resistance  was  madness,  gave  way  and 
began  a  precipitous  retreat,  our  hearts  swelled  as 
only  the  hearts  of  soldiers  can,  and  scarcely  stopping 
to  cheer,  or  to  await  orders,  we  pushed  forward  and 
joined  in  the  pursuit  until  the  darkness  and  the  rain 
forced  a  halt. 

The  battle  of  Nashville  did  not  compare  in  num- 
bers engaged,  in  severity  of  fighting,  or  in  the  losses 
sustained,  with  some  other  western  battles.  But  in 
the  issues  at  stake,  the  magnificent  generalship  of 


48 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


Thomas,  the  completeness  of  our  triumph,  and  the 
immediate  and  far-reaching  consequences,  it  was 
unique,  and  deservedly  ranks  along  with  Gettys- 
burg as  one  of  the  decisive  battles  of  the  war. 

When  General  Thomas  rode  over  the  battle-field 
and  saw  the  bodies  of  colored  men  side  by  side  with 
the  foremost  on  the  very  works  of  the  enemy,  he 
turned  to  his  staff,  saying  :  "Gentlemen,  the  question 
is  settled  ;  negroes  will  fight."  He  did  me  the  honor 
to  recommend  me  for  promotion,  and  told  me  that 
he  intended  to  give  me  the  best  brigade  he  could 
form.    This  he  afterward  did. 

After  the  great  victory  we  joined  in  the  chase  after 
the  fleeing  foe.  Hood's  army  was  whipped,  demor- 
alized, and  pretty  badly  scattered.  A  good  many 
stragglers  were  picked  up.  A  story  circulated  to 
this  effect:  Some  of  our  boys,  on  making  a  sharp 
turn  in  the  road,  came  upon  a  forlorn  southern  sol- 
dier who  had  lost  his  arms,  throAvn  away  his  accou- 
trements, and  was  sitting  on  a  log  by  the  roadside, 
waiting  to  give  himself  up.  He  was  saluted  with  : 
"Well,  Johnny,  how  goes  it?"  "Well,  Yanks,  I'll 
t«ll  ye.  I  confess  I'm  horribly  whipped  and  badly 
demoralized,  but  blamed  if  I'm  scattered." 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


49 


After  we  had  passed  through  Franklin,  we  had 
orders  to  turn  atjout  and  return  to  that  city.  I  was 
riding  at  the  head  of  the  column,  followed  by  my 
own  regiment.  The  men  were  swinging  along, 
"arms  at  will,"  when  they  spied  General  Thomas  and 
staff*  approaching.  Without  orders  the.y  brought 
their  arms  to  "  right  shoulder  shift,"  took  the  step, 
and  striking  up  their  favorite  tune  of  "John  Brown," 
whistled  it  with  admirable  effect  while  passing  the 
General,  greatly  to  his  amusement. 

We  had  a  very  memorable  march  from  Franklin 
to  Murfrees1)oro  over  miserable  dirt  roads.  About 
December  nineteenth  or  twentieth,  we  were  on  the 
march  at  an  early  hour,  but  the  rain  was  there  before 
us,  and  stuck  by  us  closer  than  a  brother.  We  were 
drenched  through  and  through,  and  few  had  on  a  dry 
thread.  We  waded  streams  of  water  nearl}'  waist 
deep,  we  pulled  through  mud  that  seemed  to  have  no 
bottom,  and  where  many  a  soldier  left  his  shoes 
seeking  for  it.  The  open  woods  pasture  where 
we  went  into  camp  that  night,  was  surrounded  with 
a  high  fence  made  of  cedar  rails.  That  fence  was  left 
standing,  and  not  a  rail  was  touched  —  until  —  well ! 
5 


50 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE 


I  do  believe  that  the  owner's  bitterness  at  his  loss 
was  fully  balanced  by  the  comfort  and  good  cheer 
which  those  magnificent  rail  fires  aflbrded  us  that 
December  night.  They  did  seem  providentially  pro- 
vided for  us. 

During  the  night  the  weather  turned  cold,  and 
when  we  resumed  our  march  the  ground  was  frozen, 
and  the  roads  were  simply  dreadful,  especially  for 
those  of  our  men  who  had  lost  their  shoes  the  day 
before,  and  were  now  compelled  to  walk  barefoot, 
tracking  their  Avay  with  l>lood.  Such  experiences 
take  away  something  of  the  romance  sometimes  sug- 
gested to  the  inexperienced  by  the  phrase,  "soldier- 
ing in  the  sunny  south ])ut,  then,  a  touch  of  it  is 
worth  having  for  the  light  it  throws  over  such  his- 
torical scenes  as  those  at  Valley  Forge. 

We  continued  in  the  pursuit  of  Hood  as  far  as 
Huntsville,  Alabama,  when  he  disappeared  to  return 
no  more,  and  we  were  allowed  to  go  back  to  Chat- 
tanooga, glad  enough  of  an  opportunity  to  rest. 
Distance  travelled,  four  hundred  and  twenty  miles. 

AVe  had  no  more  fighting.  There  were  many 
interesting  experiences,  which,  however,  1  will  not 


WITH  COLORED  TROOPS. 


51 


take  time  to  relate.  In  August,  1865,  being  in  com- 
mand of  the  post  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  after 
forty  months  of  service,  grateful  to  have  escaped 
without  imprisonment,  wounds,  or  even  a  day  of 
severe  illness,  1  resigned  my  commission  to  resume 
my  studies,  which  the  foolish  firing  on  Fort  Sumter 
had  so  rudely  interrupted. 

Colonels  Shafter,  Johnson,  Corbin,  and  a  number 
of  line  officers  who  were  with  me  in  the  colored  ser- 
vice, entered  the  regular  army,  where  some  are  still 
on  duty.  I  was  strongly  urged  to  do  the  same,  but 
my  tastes  were  not  military.  So  long  as  the  Union 
was  imperilled,  and  there  were  blows  to  be  struck  for 
freedom,  I  could  endure  the  hardships  and  enjoy  the 
service  of  the  army.  But  when  peace  came,  I  felt 
that  my  place  was  in  the  ranks  of  those  who  seek  in 
some  humble  Avay  to  assist  in  promoting  educa- 
tion and  moral  and  social  reforms. 

I  cannot  close  this  paper  without  expressing  the 
conviction  that  history  has  not  yet  done  justice  to 
the  share  1)orne  by  colored  soldiers  in  the  war  for 
the  Union.  Their  conduct  during  the  war  has  been 
a  silent,  but  most  potent  factor  in  influencing  public 


52 


REMINISCENCES  OF  SERVICE. 


sentiment,  shaping  legislation,  and  fixing  the  status 
of  colored  people  in  America.  If  the  records  of 
their  achievements  could  be  put  into  such  shape  that 
they  could  be  accessible  to  the  thousands  of  colored 
youth  in  the  South,  they  would  kindle  in  their  young 
minds  an  enthusiastic  devotion  to  liberty  and  man- 
hood. 


/ 


{ 


DATF 


.781    R47dP    3rd  ser.  no, 6-1 

349190 


